Have you ever been out having fun in with your toys cresting a dune, cruising through a forest of trees, or splashing through the water when all of a sudden, the toys you are enjoying stop being an enjoyment and break? Sure you have, everyone of us has. So you fix it enough to get back to camp, then what? Are you done for the weekend?
Well, not if you have a portable shop built into your trailer! Imagine pulling into camp and having all your trusty tools in a neat, and orderly kit, plenty of bench space to work on that darn carb, and air tools… yeah… no more lug wrenches for you! Break out that impact! That’s what Tow-Rax is all about. We tested 3 of their many products recently, that helped me start a portable shop of my own.
45″ x 18″ fold up bench table:
With nearly 6 square feet of space, and a 100lb load capacity, this bench table provides a great work surface for whatever repair project, or storage needs you have. It also folds away when you are done, and need that space back to load the toys up. Best of all, in my opinion, is it’s also portable. Most of Tow-Rax’s products mount on “buttons”, that allow you to install these products inside, and move them outside for convenience, which I did. On the inside of the toy hauler, the folded table is flat enough against the side of the trailer to allow for my electric bunks to pass by. When the bunks are up, I have a table for tools, helmets, or drinks! Mounted on the outside of the toyhauler, it serves as my work bench… and occasionally my bar!
I would like to see two simple changes to the bench however. A button mounting template would be nice, and would save time in mounting the bench. Also, the bench does not lock in the folded position, which allows it to bang around in transport. Other than that, it’s a wonderful product!
30″ Aluminum Tool Cabinet with folding tray:
Keeping all your tools organized in tool boxes on the move gets frustrating. Every time you pull into camp and break out the tool box, nothing is where you put it. Well guess what, Tow-Rax has a solution for that too! This tool cabinet is huge, and has great tool management. With marked metric and standard wrench slots, screwdriver slots, and plier/cutter slots, and a folding tool tray, it easy to keep your tools where they belong, and within easy reach. This cabinet also mounts with the button system, allowing you to move it to other locations with ease.
The only issue I really came up with during this review was attempting to mount the buttons on an aluminum stud trailer. I ended up using the same method a friend used to mount similar products in his trailer, using hollow wall anchors in the buttons, instead of the wood screw included in the kit. My friend has over 10,000 miles with a tool cabinet mounted to the walls using these anchors.
12 volt air compressor with 3 gallon tank:
This was the product I was most looking forward to. I have been looking for quite sometime for a 12v air compressor system that could power air tools, and fill tires. Most products on the market are either focused on the rock crawling crowd or designed for minimal use for airbags on trucks… and both are usually hard mount, or no air tank. Tow-Rax has provided a solution that is PERFECT for my needs. I needed a 12v compressor that I can use in a race pit scenario, and portable so I can through it in the back of a case truck to service the race car in the field. This compressor fits the requirements perfectly!
The compressor is a 3/4HP (1HP peak), fan cooled 100% duty cycle 12v monster paired with a 3 gallon air tank. The compressor itself can provide 3.4 CFM @ 0 psi, 2.5 CFM @ 60 psi, 1.7 CFM @ 90 psi. With a maximum psi of 120, and weights just over 40 pounds. To provide power, I manipulated a set of 8 gauge jumper cables to fashion a power cable that can move from place to place with the compressor.
I tested the compressor with three important (to me) tests; Tank fill from 0-120 psi, tire fill from 0-35 psi, and powering an impact wrench. Here are the results. The compressor filled the 3 gallon tank from 0 to 120 psi in 2 minutes. Filled a 32×10 (265/70 R17) tire from 0 to 35 psi in under 2 1/2 minutes with the 3 gallon tank pre-filled. I also tested it with a twin hammer 1/2″ impact wrench that specs 4cfm@90psi. Spun off 6 lugs without a pause with a full tank. Now that’s impressive for a 12v compressor!
Tow-Rax has a ton of other products as well, ranging from strap tie-downs, and tie-down management systems, to wheel chocks, tire racks, and many other shelving and cabinets products. Check them out for yourself on their website http://www.towrax.com or give them a call at 1 (800) 786-8785.
http://www.towrax.com
Tow-Rax by Phoenix USA, Inc.
51 Borden Street
Cookeville TN 38501
1.800.786.8785 Toll Free
1.931.526.6128 Phone
1.931.526.1795 Fax
